* * *
When I say we walk to the store to buy the things we need
this is a metaphor
for that first morning glance
when eyelids separate and in floods
what survived another improbable night. When I say
the undrinkable oceans are there for a reason
I mean that is why I beg
for a safe passage through the haunted cellars of childhood.
When I say the crocodile is the most natural mother this means
be very still, and rest your head on my shoulder.
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[this poem originally appeared in the Spring 2007 issue of Salamander]
